


Brave boy

by iwillgodownwiththeseships



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, Confusing Teenage Feelings, Cyrus is pretty much cannon rich boy status, Cyrus pretty much has a perfect day, I made up a pet snake, Jonah is afraid of snakes in this fic, M/M, This is just a story I think isn't too far fetched and would be so cute, This is probably horrible but whatevs it was fun, Yay Disney, because reasons, buffy is awesome, fluffy fluff, gotta love them, mega feels at the end, so many emotions and hormones ahh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-04 04:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12763617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwillgodownwiththeseships/pseuds/iwillgodownwiththeseships
Summary: Cyrus gets a pet snake and wants to share his excitement with Jonah who may or may not feel the same affection towards reptiles as him, Jyrus moments and feelings happen even though some of them are still uncertain, and difficult discussions are worked out with Buffy's help.Just an idea I got after watching 02.04 that I thought was cute :) Hope you think so too!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yay young people! Haven't watched Disney channel in years... but this show is just so cute I couldn't not. Hope you like this story! It was fun to write. These characters and actors are all angels and I love them. Usually I'm a bit of a perv, but with stories this pure even I wouldn't dare taint it, so G rating it is. Haven't decided if I will write more... It's a possibility if all y'all don't hate this too much. Leave comments and kudos please! Or don't. Love you either way. <3 xoxo

Cyrus Goodman was having a surprisingly great week. Never before had he felt so... _invincible_. Sure he has a slight injury, is hopelessly crushing on his best friends boyfriend, and is having relationship problems with someone he doesn't even want to be having relationship problems with... but regardless, he feels invincible. 

Positivity really _is_  a wonderful thing. That was the one thing that both of his parents could ever actually agree on, even if they didn't _always_ practice what they preached. Where others might see a broken thumb, Cyrus sees a milestone. What very well might be a potential disaster of a crush, he sees as an exciting beginning to knowing himself and what he wants out of life. Having relationship problems with Iris? Well he was still working on that one... but as honestly and as positively as possible. 

For once in Cyrus's life, he felt like he could look his fears in the face and not run away screaming. It seemed as though his obstacles were turning into smoothly paved roads, which would sure come in handy if he was going to turn into a _proper_ 'skate board buddy'. At the off chance his parents allowed such a thing to happen again... What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them though right? 

As great as he was feeling on his walk home from school, the unexpected cherry on top for him was a surprise waiting for him inside the house. Entering his home the same as any other day, he noticed that his parents weren't there. 

Being home alone was starting to be considered normal for him with his busy family being as keen on safety first as they were, all thanks to a very top of the line security system. You were never really 'alone' in their house. Walking into their dining room out of routine, he set his backpack on the usual chair he sat in to do his homework and smiled as he noticed a note left for him on the table. "Sorry we're not home honey, be back soon. Call if you need anything. There is a new friend waiting for you upstairs. Love, Mom." 

After reading that note any previous thoughts of homework vanished, and he raced up stairs to his room as fast as he could. Opening his door he nearly exploded with excitement and _actually squealed_ when he saw the surprise waiting for him. To his current maximum level of glee and surprise, his parent's had left him a beautiful baby boa constrictor all set up inside a roomy cage with another note on top of it reading: "To Cyrus, our brave boy." 

Cyrus swore he had never seen anything so perfect, _besides maybe Jonah Beck's smile_ , as his new pet snake. 

 _Wow. This might be the best thing that has ever happened to me..._ he thought to himself as he stared in awe at his new friend. _What should I call you? Sally? Ness? Twix? No..._ Eh, he figured a good name would come to him later. The name could wait a little bit, but messaging his friends the news _absolutely_ could not. Cyrus knew that Buffy and Andi weren't as big of fans of reptiles as he was, but maybe Jonah would share in his enthusiasm. _Jonah isn't afraid of anything,_ he thought as dreamily as he always did whenever his crush/friend found himself into Cyrus's mind, which to be honest, was a _very frequent_ occasion these days... And with Cyrus's newfound bravery, he thought it would be a good idea to invite Jonah over to hang out so that he could share his new pet with him. _He's going to be so surprised. Maybe he can even help me think of a good name!_ He thought while pulling out his phone to message Jonah and the others. 

* * *

 

**To: Jonah**

Hey Jonah! I have the MOST docious magocious news EVER. Come over to my house if you can!

**To: Andi & Buffy**

You guys won't believe it! The best thing that's ever happened to me in my entire LIFE just happened!!

**From: Jonah**

Hey cy-guy! Sure thing! C U 

**From :Andi**

What?! Did you get that one James Bond collectors thing you've been wanting?

**From: Buffy**

He better not have... Or all my hard work looking for it will have been for nothing!

**To: Jonah**

Gr8 C U soon !

**To: Andi & Buffy**

OMG NO WAY YOU'RE THE BEST EVER. Okay it's official, today literally is the best day of my life. But no, James Bond memorabilia is not the highlight of my day/week/life this time. Mom got me a pet boa! She is perfect and I love her and am obsessed. Life is grand ladies, life is grand.

**From: Buffy**

You have a BOA now?! Aren't those like huge and dangerous??

**From: Andi**

Wow that's crazy! Guess I shouldn't be too surprised... You and your reptiles... :)  

**From: Buffy**

I'm happy for you, don't get me wrong... Just make sure to tell it that Andi and I are -off limits- for the menu. 

**To: Andi & Buffy**

She is a baby, and is friendly and harmless! Unless you're a small rodent that is... 

But I have to go, ttyl!! 

**From: Andi & Buffy**

Okay bye Cy!

Be careful and have fun!

**To: Buffy**

Omg Buffy. JONAH BECK IS COMING OVER

**From: Buffy**

OMG!!! No way. DETAILS! After... Good luck! Not that you need it <3

* * *

 

Cyrus had been too caught up messaging his friends the exciting news that he almost forgot about Jonah. _Alright_ c _ome on newfound bravery... help me out here..._ he thought as he went around to make sure everything was perfect. The house was as spotless as usual, but he still ran around to double check, and with just enough time to pop some pizza pocket snacks and tater tots in the oven he heard a knock on the door that almost gave him a heart attack.

 _Okay. It's fine. Just breathe... You're just hanging out like a couple or normal friends. Don't be weird._ Cyrus told himself to gain some much needed composure before he went to see his friend. 

Any nerves he had melted away when he opened the door.

"Cy-guy! Hey!" Greeted Jonah with a broad smile and usual care-free charm.

"Jonah! Hey! Welcome to my humble abode." Cyrus said with an even bigger smile and an attempt of half the charm and ease his friend seemed to always have. 

Never having a lot of friends growing up was always okay because Andi and Buffy gave him everything he could have ever hoped to have in two best friends. Needing any other people in his life was never really a thought he had before, but ever since he and Jonah started to be friends, he realized that there was a bit of an empty space that was steadily being filled up more and more since meeting him. Andi and Buffy loved and accepted him, he knows that, but Jonah just... treats him _differently_. Jonah doesn't see Cyrus as a helpless lost cause like everyone else seems to. Labeling or judging people wasn't something Jonah did with anyone, _period_... but it was still just as special for him to be treated like that because of how new and liberating it felt.

"Awesome house!" Jonah said as he walked inside. 

"Thanks! Mom just had the interior changed for the season." _Don't be weird and just stare at his perfect dimples..._ He had to repeatedly remind himself. _Just act normal._

Jonah had always loved how different Cyrus was and couldn't help but smile at the remark that was normal for only him to have said.

"Cool! My mom just keeps the house the same year round." he said with snicker. Looking around the house he thought it was by far the nicest home he had ever been in. "So what's this _docious magocious news?"_ He turned to Cyrus and asked after remembering the reason behind the visit.

"Oh I almost forgot! You won't believe it. I can't wait for you to see! It's just upstairs in my room.' Cyrus excitedly told his friend as he started walking to the stairs and waving Jonah to follow him up. 'I have some pizza snacks and wanna-be tatter babies in the oven, are you hungry?"

"Ah sweet! Yeah that's great, thanks! But how about after I see or hear about whatever this amazing news is?! Gotta say, I'm pretty curious."

"Alright, follow me! And prepare to be _amazed_...' Now that they were almost at his doorway, he stopped leading his friend to turn and pause right before his room with intentions to reveal his surprise as Dramatically as possible. 'Okay. Close your eyes. No peeking." 

He was very proud of himself; Jonah seemed to be excited and clueless, his snake was peaking over to him from her little heated rock, and he wasn't nervous at all! Everything was working out perfectly. After checking to make sure his friends eyes were indeed shut, he went over to the cage and carefully lifted his little friend out. This was his first time holding her, but his snake seemed more than happy in his hands and made herself right at home wrapping her body comfortably around him. 

"Now open!" He told Jonah with the snake waiting in front of him and wearing what was probably the most dorky grin possible. Dorky grins _didn't_ last as long as Cyrus was hoping though; as soon as Jonah opened his eyes, his dimples went away and all color left his face as he leapt back in sudden horror from him and his snake.

"Wo-AHH!! Dude! You have a... ss- _SNAKE?"_ Jonah cursed inwardly at how lame his reaction must have been, and swore his heart rate was audible. _Great going acting like that in front of Cyrus... Good luck getting invited over again anytime soon after that..._ he thought miserably to himself. 

Even though popularity had always come easy to Jonah, he'd never had a friend like Cyrus before. Being welcomed into the 'good hair crew' was one of the best things that had happened to him all year. Never before had he been around someone so refreshingly unique and fun to be around.

To say that both boys were tragically unaware of how special one was to the other would be an understatement...

Upon seeing the reaction he would have expected from Buffy, certainly not _Jonah_... Quickly, he ran back to the cage and gently returned his pet to her new home, and grabbed a nearby towel to drape over the whole thing just for good measure.

"Jonah! I'm so sorry! I didn't think you were afraid of snakes! Or _anything_ for that matter! If I had known I _promise_ I wouldn't have-." 

With his composure back in tact, or, _mostly back in tact_ , Jonah went over to Cyrus and tried to calm him down. "-Hey! Dude, it's fine. Seriously. I should be the one apologizing to you! I mean... after _that_... You must think I'm super lame now."

" _You?_ Lame!? HA! You are the _least_ lame person I have _ever_ met." 

Cyrus was shocked to see his friend being so hard on himself. If anything, he felt that it was a little reassuring to see him less super-human than normal for once. 

"Really...?" 

"Yes, really! Take it from an _actual_ lame person to know the difference. You? You're SO cool. You're are great at _everything_ , you're nice to _everyone_ , you're funny, have great hair and fashion sense... an amazing smile..."

Well after hearing all of _that_ , color had returned to his face in full force, and now the dimpled smile that Cyrus thought about more than he would ever admit was back in place.

"Wow. Thanks Cyrus." 

Jonah could feel the heat rising in his face and knew he probably had a ridiculous smile on, but after hearing what nice things his friend had to say, he couldn't seem to break the eye-contact like he normally would have in the past with embarrassing situations. People said nice things to him pretty often, sure, but this was just _different_ for some reason he didn't understand quite yet. 

"You're welcome! You... you know these things already though, don't you? I mean you'd have to!" 

Cyrus found it hard to imagine someone as amazing as Jonah ever not being the appropriate amount of 110% aware of their own awesomeness...

"Yeah... I guess. Just never had anyone say such nice things to me like that before. It's... nice."

 _Why does this feel so different..._ Jonah liked how he felt, but was a bit confused why he was reacting so strongly to the things that Cyrus was saying and tried to think clearly, but found it difficult at the moment. _We're just a couple of friends hanging out, no big deal. Don't make this any more weird than you already did earlier._

"Well whenever you doubt your awesomeness, I'm your guy. Just come to me, and I'll tell it like it is every time." Cyrus reassured his friend with a wide grin and proudly pointed to his chest. He never would have thought someone like Jonah would need reassurance... But would happily take on the task whenever need be.

 _'Just come to me, and i'll tell it like it is'..._ Jonah liked the sound of that. Having someone as genuine and caring as Cyrus to count on and be around was something he never knew he needed. If anyone could be trusted and depended on, it was the boy standing in front of him.

"Alright I guess i'll just have to take your word for it then. My one and only cy-guy: preacher of awesomeness. Just for the record though, anyone who can carry around a snake like _that,_ is docious magocious to the _max_."

Standing dumbfounded, Cyrus had to take a moment to let what was just said fully sink in, because he wasn't sure yet if he imagined it or not. Then, in an act to try and _cover-up_ his blatant dumbfoundedness... he made an attempt of acting cool. He didn't succeed. But Jonah always loved when Cyrus acted that way, all goofy and just plain _him_ , so he just smiled and went over to sit on his bed to get a more comfortable vibe going on and prove he was back to normal definitely _not_ still terrified of his new pet. Or at least he wasn't terrified on the outside.

"I really am sorry for how I reacted to your surprise though... It's super cool! It's just that... I just had a bad experience with a snake when I was little at some birthday party is all, and I guess I'm still not 100% over it yet. I know that this is important to you though, so I wanna try to be more open minded and give it another shot. What do you say... round two?" 

"Really?! Wow. Facing your fears so quickly! You really _are_ perfect aren't you..."

"Ha! Far from it I'm afraid. Guess you just really inspired me the other day."

"Me?? Doing what?!"

"You tried skateboarding even though it scared you! That was _so_ cool dude. And the way you handled your broken thumb... like I tried to tell you last week; you're gnarly!" 

Any left over embarrassment from his earlier reaction faded away into their usual easy camaraderie in no time. Jonah decided he didn't need to feel embarrassed in front of Cyrus because he was a true friend who would accept him as he was, no matter what. Thinking of this, he fixed his friend with a warm smile he saved for his closest of friends and shared something with him he was truly thankful for. "I'm _really_ glad we're friends Cyrus." 

"Yep. It's official. This is _definitely_ the best day of my life. Okay. Are you _sure_ you want to meet my snake again? She won't bite, promise. I already gave her very clear instructions to never eat you, Andi, or Buffy."

"Ha! Awesome. Yeah, I think I'm ready... I mean with _you_ here there could probably be a hungry alligator in your room, and everything would still be fine. _My Cy-guy:_ preacher of awesomeness, reptile master, soon to be skate-board pro, president of the good hair crew, and best MVP the space otters will ever have." And with that, he stood back up, walked over to the covered cage, and waited for 'meet Cyrus's snake, round 2' with a smile. 

Cyrus thought he had been on cloud nine before when his mom surprised him with a special James Bond themed birthday party last year with everything from a new fitted suit, collectors edition blue-ray, and two signed posters... but how he felt at this moment was even higher. He wished that there was a way he could replay this day over and over again forever. 

With his confidence back Cyrus walked over to the cage, lifted off the towel, and checked back over at his friend to make sure Jonah was still okay with the plan before doing anything else. Cyrus's hesitation was appreciated, but Jonah urged him on with a smile and wave to continue. Reaching into the cage slowly, Cyrus let his hand rest next to his new pet and waited for her to slither onto his hand. She didn't waste any time coming back to him and as soon as Cyrus felt like she was comfortable, he slowly lifted his hand and brought her back out into the open. Jonah's previous look of horror was now replaced with one of curious fascination. 

"Wow. She's so... _pretty!_ Does she have a name yet?" 

Jonah never thought he'd _ever_ refer to a snake as ' _pretty'_... but it was the truth. He figured this snake was a good snake. Any friend of Cyrus's was a friend of his so he got up off the bed to go get better aquatinted.

"No not yet. Do you have any ideas?" 

"What about Miley? You both could be Miley and Cyrus! Dude, that would be _so_ docious magocious. Unless you hate it of course!"

 _"Miley_... Hm. I love it!! It's Perfect! Thanks Jonah."

 _Miley; The most perfect name for the most perfect snake on the most perfect day with the most perfect person._ Forget about cloud nine... Cyrus was happily sailing on cloud twelve, and he wasn't alone.  

"Great! Well then how about we take _Miley_ downstairs with us and eat those wanna-be tatter babies?" 

The smell coming from the kitchen was mouth-watering and both of their stomachs had been making noises, so Jonah figured that a snack would be a good idea. Also, he thought it would be a good lead into revealing Cyrus the surprise he brought for him. 

On his way to Cyrus's house, Jonah had stashed a present in a bush by the front door to keep it a secret, and now felt like the perfect time to bring it out. 

After an enthusiastic head nod from his friend in reply, the trio left his room and headed for the kitchen to give their stomachs the potatoes they seemed to always be in high demand of. 

Once they reached the kitchen Jonah grabbed Cyrus by the shoulder to get his attention and told him that he needed to go outside for a second but would be right back. Cyrus wasn't the _only one_ who had a flare for the dramatic. Cyrus was a bit confused but nodded in understanding anyways, and was left standing in the dining room after Jonah ran to the door and was gone in a second. _What in the world?_ As curious as he was, he figured Jonah had some good reason behind his actions so he moved Miley from his hand to around his neck so that he could go pull out the now perfectly cooked snacks from the oven. By the time he had the baking sheet on a hot pad and turned back to the dining room, Jonah was already back where he left him with a huge smile on his face and both hands behind his back. 

"What's going on...?" Cyrus asked with laughter in his voice. Jonah was acting kind of ridiculous and it was completely adorable. 

"Oh nothing... Just a surprise for my new _skateboard buddie."_ he said with a twinkle in his eye as he showed Cyrus what was behind his back, and handed him a skateboard and helmet. 

Cyrus's reaction was _truly_ one for the books... he did a kind of jump then crouch, scream and squeal combo that made Jonah _beam_ with pride and nearly double over in laughter. 

"That is for me?! _I'M_ YOUR NEW SKATEBOARD BUDDY?! Pinch me. This whole day _must_ be a dream."

Honestly, even if Cyrus had been given a play by play forewarning of the day, he still wouldn't have been prepared enough. After his uncontrollable outburst of emotion, Miley squeezed his neck a little as if hinting for him to 'act cooler', which helped snap him back to reality a bit. After collecting himself he tried to walk over to Jonah as normal as possible to receive his second amazing surprise of the day, but any hope for composure flew out the window when Cyrus saw the skateboard up close. It wasn't just _any_ skateboard... the color was a bright blue paint with little galaxy specks and colors all over, kind of like the space otters jersey, and in tiny letters on the bottom it said MVP. 

After seeing _this..._ he was an absolute goner. 

Cyrus was a pretty emotional guy even on the _best of days,_ and today was turning out to be a scale tipper of emotionally overwhelming proportions. 

Setting down the skateboard and helmet on the floor with all of the dignity he had left, Cyrus wrapped Jonah in a tight hug. Cyrus knew he was crying, but didn't really care in the moment; all he cared about was how much Jonah meant to him, and how much he needed this hug to speak the words he didn't know if he would ever be able to say. He had to remind himself for what must have been the fourth time that afternoon, that _he wasn't dreaming,_  as he felt two strong arms return the embrace with just as much enthusiasm as him. 

Never had the two boys been so close before, so Cyrus took this as an opportunity to take in as many details as he could just in case another chance to do so didn't come around for awhile. He allowed himself to appreciate how well they fit together, the feel of being wrapped in his arms, even the smell of him was carefully catalogued into his mind. As Cyrus began to back away from their embrace, he felt a strange pull... then after a second the pull _moved._ Realizing what had happened, Cyrus started to laugh. 

Miley seemed to _want in on their hug,_ and used all her body to wrap around the both of them as much as she could. She was only a baby snake, but still managed pretty well in her mission. Catching on to what was happening, Jonah joined in on the laughter and decided she was definitely one of the good ones, _unlike that mean one from Harry's fifth birthday party who chased him around the garden..._ and reached up to carefully take her into his hand. 

Cyrus became very still during the exchange, and watched as Jonah faced his biggest fear right in front of him. The feel of Jonah's fingers grazing his neck where his snake was touching him sent shivers down his spine and goosebumps shooting down his arms. Jonah's expression was very serious and his movements slow as he gently lifted all of Miley's slender body successfully onto his hand. 

Jonah had always imagined for some reason that snakes would feel cold and slimy... but that wasn't the case at all. The snake currently coiling around his fingers and making herself at home felt incredibly silky smooth to the touch and surprisingly warm. Jonah looked up from his study of this interesting creature to see that Cyrus and he were still only inches apart from one another. 

"Looks like you made a new friend today." Cyrus said to Jonah softly with a gentle smile.

Jonah held Cyrus's gaze for longer than normal, searching his face for something he still wasn't sure that he was looking for... but for some reason, he felt like the answer was hidden there somewhere in that soft expression looking back at him. Feeling another treacherous blush and smile creep it's way back to his cheeks, he just decided it was best to look back down at his new friend Miley, as if she had any of the answers woven in the intricate pattern of her scales. 

Cyrus couldn't deny he felt a spark fly between them, and as much as he knew he _shouldn't_... he felt like it was from a two way connection. He wished this spark wouldn't go away, and that they could explore whatever may or may not have happened _together_ , but somehow he knew it just wasn't the right time for that yet. 

Cyrus could be patient when he wanted to, so even as difficult as it was for him, he decided that it would probably be best for him to break away first and give the other some space. They would have time in the future to decide what was and wasn't, of this he was positive. To avoid feeling sad at the thought of loosing Jonah's proximity, Cyrus reminded himself that at least he had a very vivid imagination and memory to rely on when he would need a replay of the afternoon to happen. After allowing himself one last look at the boy in front of him, he took a deep breath and stepped away. Moving to the kitchen, he grabbed two plates and filled them up with the now lukewarm snacks. 

"Do you want something to drink? Sorry I don't have any milkshakes... But I have sprite, orange soda, grape soda, and A&W root beer?" 

Looking back he noticed that Jonah was still standing in the same spot, just watching Cyrus with a warm smile while petting his snake. _Why do you have to make it so hard to not like you..._ was all Cyrus could think as he kept getting distracted by the entirely too perfect scene before him.

"Jonah..?" 

"Oh! Sorry. Root beer would be great! Thanks!" 

Jonah came to sit at the counter and Cyrus poured them both a glass of root beer before sitting down next to him. Both boys smiled at one another and Cyrus felt inspired to lift his glass and initiate a cheers.

"Cheers! To..." 

"New friends, old fears, and whatever the future has in store?" 

"Yes. Cheers to that."

Cyrus couldn't have said it better himself if he tried. 

 _New friends, old fears, and whatever the future had in store..._ Neither boy could help but share one last lingering gaze while they took a sip of their drink, and neither boy could help but wonder and look forward to whatever the future _did_ have in store for them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to make this a multi-chapter fic! Hope y'all like it. 
> 
> This one is all about Buffy and Cyrus. Cyrus's afternoon is discussed and a plan of action is formed on how to deal with whatever may or may not be happening.

**Buffy:**

Hey, how did things go?

I know he's back home now because Andi told me something about a family dinner.

So... DETAILS! SPILL!

**Buffy:**

CYRUS HELLOOO

**Buffy:**

omg

**Buffy:**

OMG CYRUS CALL ME BACK TEXT ME OR TELEPATHICALLY FILL ME IN.

SOMETHING.

PLS.

**Buffy:**

Not funny. I'm literally dying over here waiting.

**Buffy:**

That's it. I'm coming over.

You better have just lost your phone again 

 

* * *

 

(Cyrus had indeed lost his phone... and only caught up with all the missed calls, voicemails, and texts just as soon as he heard loud knocking at his door.)

Jonah had left a couple of hours ago and Cyrus was sad to see his friend go but happy to have some alone time to process everything. There were many things that needed to be figured out and Cyrus was so thankful that at least he had Buffy to talk to about things. He didn't know what he would do without her.

Not messaging her back was a complete accident. When Jonah was there he was way too distracted to do anything, and then after he left he couldn't find his phone anywhere so he hadn't gotten around to it. Turns out his phone was still on the dining room table hidden under a sweater and as soon as he saw the plethora of missed messages he didn't know whether to be amused or terrified...

Running to the door and nearly falling to his death as he tripped on the way, Cyrus opened the door to a very cross looking Buffy. _Alrighty then... looks both amused and terrified it is..._ he thought to himself nervously. 

"Buffy! What a pleasant surprise!" Cyrus greets her trying to sound as casual as possible, failing miserably. 

Buffy gave him a sarcastic smile and just walked past him into the main room like she owned the place, turned to face him as he shut the door behind them, and didn't allow any time for him to defend himself before she gave him a piece of her mind. 

"Not. Cool. You can't just drop a bomb like that and then ignore me!"

But Buffy was only angry for theatrical purposes and was really just super excited to hear what happened, so after she properly expressed her annoyance at being ignored all of her happy giddy excitement took the forefront and she started jumping up and down in anticipation with a huge smile.

"So... TELL ME TELL ME _TELL MEEE!_ What did you guys _do?_ What did you _talk about?"_

"I know I'm so sorry I didn't message you! I actually _did_ loose my phone... but still, I'm sorry!"

Cyrus was relived she wasn't _actually_ mad at him... but now that she was there and waiting to hear everything, he was suddenly very anxious. Andi still didn't know how he felt... about _anything_... He didn't want to be a bad friend to Buffy by putting her in some kind of awkward position, and he didn't want to keep lying to Andi either. Cyrus felt like his case was too difficult to deal with even with Buffy's help and briefly considered taking up his moms offer of taking him to therapy... 

"Pfff- it's fine... I figured that was the case. _Anyways..."_ Buffy grabbed Cyrus by the arm and pulled him over to one of his couches so they could discuss things more comfortably. 

"Oh Buffy... I don't know what to _do!_ I like him _so_ much! And..."

"And what?!"

"I... think he _might...'_ at this Cyrus had to pause and take a deep breath before continuing.Buffy could sense his hesitation so she reached over to grab his hands in support and patiently waited for him to continue. 'I think he _might... Maybe_ like me a _little_ more... than in the strictly 'boys who happen to be friends' kind of way..."

_"What?!?"_

"I know! This is awful! But also... _kind of amazing..._ You have to help me! Please! I have no idea what to do or feel anymore Buffy. Tell me what to do?"

"Shhh-shh-sh. Okay. It's okay Cyrus. No more freak outs from _either_ of us, alright? Um... first just tell me what happened and we will work this out together. Don't worry, okay? Everything will be fine. Promise."

Cyrus felt a bit lighter knowing she was going to help him. Any previous anxiety or worries were lifted away with her comforting words and after another deep breath he told her everything that had happened over the course of what he considered to be both the best afternoon of his entire life, and most confusing one.

Buffy listened to all of what Cyrus had to say patiently without any judgment, only internally letting herself freak out. Based on what he said, there was _definitely_ a spark between... but did Jonah understand what it meant yet? Andi and Jonah seemed happy enough, but they really only acted like any normal friends did around each other. From the sounds of it, Jonah had his rose colored glasses on when he was around _Cyrus_ and _not_ Andi... and it got her thinking of all the other possible past hints of unknown affection Jonah had showed to Cyrus that also fit into Cyrus's 'liking more than in the strictly boys who happen to be friends kind of way' and was surprised how many examples there were; making him MVP with a handmade personalized jersey, that random weird 'U R Gnarly' message, wanting to be skateboard buddies, not seeing Cyrus as the hopeless klutz he was, the past couple of hugs she's witnessed, their hockey game non double date complete with a bunch of adorable photos... well there was a lot. She felt blind to have not seen it all as the two way street it sure seemed likely to be for them. Buffy tried really hard to imagine the best possible scenario how to tell Andi about Cyrus liking boys, and more importantly about Cyrus liking _her boyfriend..._ and it was starting to give her a headache. Buffy loved Andi and Cyrus so much and only wanted what was best for them, but it was difficult for her to foresee a scenario that left everyone equally happy. Cyrus had asked her for advice and she intended on delivering, but she was nervous how he would react to what she had to say. 

After Cyrus was finished, Buffy leaned in to give him a big hug before sharing her thoughts. 

"Thank you for telling me everything Cyrus."

"Thanks for listening."

"So..."

"It's all a mess huh."

"Well it's not _easy_... but it's not a mess."

"From what I told you... do you think there's any chance that my feelings aren't necessarily as one sided as I thought?"

At this, Buffy couldn't help but smile. _Of course he did..._ "I think he would be crazy _not_ to have feelings for you. Honestly, what you just said has me thinking back to all these things in the past I noticed between you two differently now. I think that... he _does_ like you, _'like you like you' I mean_...but that he doesn't... _know_ it yet? Does that make sense?"

Cyrus took a moment for her words to sink in, and it fed his bubble of hope to nearly twice it's size. _Jonah Beck could actually have feelings for me!_ he was so excited at the thought that was now shared with someone else making it more than just some unrealistic fantasyof his.

"Is it bad that I'm happy you said that...? I mean..."

"Andi, I know."

"Yeah."

"Do you still think I should tell her everything?"

"Wouldn't you want her to tell _you_ if something big like that was going on in _her_ life? I've been thinking about it a lot Cyrus... I'm not saying it will be easy or that nobody won't get hurt... but I truly believe it's what's best for everyone. And I know for a _fact..._ that all of our friendship is _one.hundred.percent_. _unbreakable_. This will just be one of those things that makes us all stronger and better friends in the end, I know it."

Buffy's confidence was encouraging... but the thought of telling Andi still set his anxiety on edge. He knew she was right of course, their friendship was unbreakable... he knew that... it was just scary to think of potentially hurting one of his best friends. Or what if Andi thought he was weird for liking other guys...? This was going to be way more difficult than coming out to Buffy at The Spoon, but at least he wasn't alone this time. With Buffy helping and supporting him, he knew that it would all be okay just like she said.

"Okay. I'll do it. I'll tell Andi."

Buffy nodded with a warm smile in reply, happy he understood, and went in for another hug. She figured he needed it after all the anxiety he was no doubt going through. 

Both teens were still embracing on the couch when the front door was opened and Cyrus's parents walked in.

"Buffy! Cyrus! Hello dears. Buffy will you be joining us for dinner tonight?"

"Mom! You're the BEST. EVER. I love my new snake SO much! Thank you! She's perfect."

Alone on the couch now after Cyrus bolted off to so enthusiastically thank his mom for his new pet she had yet to meet (and wanted to prolong meeting for as long as possible...) Buffy pulled out her phone to message her mom to say she wouldn't be home for dinner and then got up to greet Mrs. Goodman with a hug and accept the invitation.

"Oh honey you're welcome. Your father and I think it's so great how interested in all your reptile friends you are... most kids are afraid of such things you know, but not _our_ brave boy."

Cyrus blushed at the attention but was happy to have it and hugged his mom again in appreciation. 

"So what do you kids want for dinner? Would pizza be okay?"

A very excited "yes" was immediately replied in unison from Buffy and Cyrus which led to everyone smiling and laughing. It was nice. Today had truly been a good day, and even though he still had some nervousness at the thought of the talk he was going to have with Andi, it felt right. Cyrus knew that no matter what, that all of his friends, 'the good hair crew' he loved so much, would _stay_ his friends through thick and thin. Only now, Cyrus let himself hope that maybe one day _one_ of those friendships might turn into something _more..._

Tomorrow he would talk with Andi. It was going to be a challenge, but he wouldn't be doing it alone. Tonight? Tonight he was just going to just enjoy the time with his family and best friend, eat as much pizza as humanly possible, and carefully log every single moment of his day away to a special spot in his memory. 

 


End file.
